A trial of 24-hour bus lanes will be made permanent, Transport for London (TfL) announced today, including two roads in Hounslow.

The decision was made after a trial found that extending bus lane hours on London's busiest roads cut journey times and helped reliability.

The changes will be made permanent in the New Year, subject to a final statutory consultation with emergency services, local authorities and other statutory consultees.

Motorists who park or travel in the affected bus lanes could receive a Penalty Charge Notice for £130 (reduced to £65 if paid within 14 days), as they have been during the trial.

Bus lanes affected in Hounslow:

-Hounslow Harlington Road West, travelling South East

Bus routes: 490, 90, 235, 635, 285, X26

There are no roads in Hounslow where parking will be suspended.

The trial found that improvements in bus journey times were particularly noticeable in central and inner London, especially in the mornings and evenings and throughout Sundays.

24-hour bus lanes are also expected to improve service reliability in the longer term, which Tfl hope will make bus use more attractive and encourage more Londoners onto buses.

Before the pandemic 1.15 billion journeys were made each year on the bus routes that have included in the changes, out of a total of around 2.2 billion journeys.

These changes are also expected to benefit cyclists as they can ride in bus lanes without traffic.